As the doors of Roberts Pavilion open this fall, CMS Athletics will usher in a new era of enhanced opportunity to enrich students' academic experiences with competitive and recreational activities that support the educational missions of Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, and Scripps Colleges. In recent months, department staff and college administrators worked together to reflect on the purpose, core beliefs, and values that drive CMS Athletics’ success. In the course of interviews and group sessions, stakeholders shared their pride in offering more intercollegiate, intramural, physical education, and club sport opportunities than ever before. They reaffirmed their commitment to competitive achievement, and identified other key values that define the program with a clear set emerging as important to all.
Mike Sutton ‘76, Director of Athletics and Physical Education for the past 16 years, helped guide this effort. He noted, "Opportunities to train and develop our shared set of values are the foundation for our success. Teamwork, passion, perseverance, and excellence -- these are just some of the many qualities that characterized our program in the past and that carry on today."
Paul Settles, head coach of the CMS national champion men’s tennis team is proud to be a part of that legacy. He observed, "This connection we have with our student-athletes, the college community at large, and the alumni network is unique in collegiate sports. That connectivity creates a support system for success in the classroom and on the court, while yielding life-long friendships."
In July, Terrance Tumey, will assume his post as the new Director of Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation. He was drawn to the opportunity to lead a program that has a clear purpose with coaches and staff who activate a core set of beliefs that spans intercollegiate competition as well as recreation and physical education. “My hope is to continue to build on the exemplary achievements of CMS Athletics by enhancing the personal and educational experiences of our entire student community," Tumey said. "Our students deserve athletic offerings which parallel the excellence they are receiving in their academic endeavors; that will continue to be our goal."
Dianna Graves ’98, former CMS volleyball coach and current Director of Academic Planning for Claremont McKenna College, echoed Tumey’s sentiments. "It is an amazing time to be a Stag or Athena," said Graves who also participated in the recent conversations about the department’s purpose. "I applaud CMS Athletics' ongoing effort to think in a reflective, action-oriented way about its values and core beliefs in relation to the educational missions of the Colleges. The coaches and staff model the integrity, leadership, work ethic, and determination they value as a department -- the potential for continued gains is simply extraordinary."
To learn more about the purpose, core beliefs, and guiding values of CMS Athletics, please visit the official site of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athletics.